(1) Field of the Invention
The field of the invention is related to sunlight preventing devices, in particular, to a portable and foldable lap shade for preventing direct heat of sunlight from falling on lap of an occupant in a vehicle.
(2) Description of Related Art
Solar ultraviolet exposure is a significant environmental risk factor for the development of skin cancer. Exposure to excess sunlight prematurely ages the skin. Prolonged and frequent exposure to UV light attributes to the wrinkles, both fine and coarse, irregular pigmentation, redness, leathery, and rough texture of sun-exposed skin. Travelers often get troubled by the effects of sunlight. Automobile occupants experience serious sunburn on their body as a result of prolonged exposure to sunlight which penetrates through the side window and windshield of the vehicle. Currently, many sorts of sunshades are available for occupants in a car. Since the area of the shade cannot be regulated, they don't serve the purpose to the desired extent. Rollable textile sunshades are held together by a spring. When such a sunshade is opened, a considerable force has to be applied. Rollable textile sunshades are complicated, and their production cost is high. They often will not be rolled up uniformly and so cannot be stored, leaving their use far from ideal. Moreover this can be used only while the automobile is not in motion. U.S. Pat. No. 4,332,414 to Robert Surtin on Jun. 1, 1982 discloses a removable shade for insertion between the windshield of an automobile and the dashboard to reflect the sunlight and thereby prevent the temperature within the automobile from rising to unacceptable levels when the automobile is left in the sunlight. While this shade is effective in shading the interior of an automobile, this cannot be used while the automobile is in motion since it will obstruct the front view of the driver. This shade employ a plurality of elongated slats with elongated openings disposed in the slats between a pinned end and a free end thereof. A joinder tape is inserted through the openings to secure the slats together so that they can be opened in a fan-like manner or kept in a folded position. The joinder tape in the shade of the patent is arranged so that the shade can only be opened in one direction when the edge of the slat forming one of the openings comes into direct contact with the tape. The ability to open the shade in one direction only is limiting and the sharp edge will tend to cause the tape to fray, thereby shortening the life of the shade.
There are products out in the market to protect dashboard area when the car is parked. U.S. Pat. No. 4,202,396 to Levy on May 13, 1980 relates to a foldable, rigid cardboard sheet which is propped up on the dashboard. This invention protects the interior of motor vehicles against sun rays and blaze. But the folding cardboard shades are bulky when folded and difficult to store. When opened, the cardboard shades tend to return to the folded position thereby not providing a complete covering of the windshield. Moreover, the device is not suitable for protecting the passenger's lower body from the direct sun rays coming in through windows.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,109,957 to Polizzi on Aug. 29, 1978 discloses a quickly removable curtain assembly for covering the inside of a vehicle windshield. The curtain assembly disclosed therein includes an opaque cloth panel for covering the windshield and front side windows of a vehicle such as a van or a recreational vehicle. While this curtain assembly is removable, it is not retractable. To remove the bulky material, one would have to fold it in some manner to reduce its size to a size manageable for storage. Further, it requires permanent installation.
In order to avoid the above problems, U.S. Pat. No. 6,029,278 to Lopez on Feb. 29, 2000 provides a device for protecting the user from the harmful effects of the sun while seated in a vehicle. Coverage is provided for the side of the user's face and neck, as well as shoulders, arms and hand. But this device does not address the need for covering the lower body, particularly, the lap of the occupant. While many of the prior art sunshades provide a certain amount of shade to the occupant, each of these shades are quite limited since it is designed to protect the vehicle rather than the occupant. Furthermore, most all of these traditional sunshades cannot be attached to the dashboard of the vehicle and in most-every case traditional sunshades are suitable for covering side windows or protecting the upper body of the passenger. Moreover, when the automobile is in motion, the prior art sunshades protect the occupants in such a way that the view of the driver is obstructed.
All referenced patents, applications and literatures are incorporated herein by reference to their entirety. Furthermore, where a definition or use of a term in a reference, which is incorporated by reference herein, is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of the term in the reference does not apply. The invention may seek to satisfy one or more of the above-mentioned desire. Although the present invention may obviate one or more of the above-mentioned desires, it should be understood that some aspects of the invention might not necessarily obviate them.
In these respects, lap shade according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and so doing provides a lap shade that is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art lap shade, either alone or in combination thereof.